Taiwan To Buy 400 Harpoon Anti-Ship Missiles
 

Mostly landbased. That should give Xi and his bellicose followers pause. The Formosa Straits would be a vast graveyard if they come at Taiwan.

This old hippie is pleased.

"(Bloomberg) -- Taiwan will buy as many as 400 land-launched Harpoon missiles intended to repel a potential Chinese invasion, completing a deal that Congress approved in 2020, according to a trade group’s leader and people familiar with the issue." Bloomies

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mark...7dbd6cf1&ei=89

There gonna need more....

This, and it's a short range weapon.

"At least 339 Harpoon missiles were sold to the Republic of China Air Force (Taiwan) for its F-16 A/B Block 20 fleet and the Republic of China Navy, which operates four guided-missile destroyers and eight guided-missile frigates with the capability of carrying the Harpoon, including the eight former U.S. Navy Knox-class frigates and the four former USN Kidd-class destroyers which have been sold to Taiwan." Wiki - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpoon_(missile)

I heard that the Jewish Space Laser command is being deactivated. Dumplings in a tincan are on the menu. (grin)

Published range is out to 70 miles and the strait is 80 - 100 miles, so mostly covered. Agree that they'll need more of them. I wonder what the cruise missile version's range is? I didn't see an answer on Wiki.

Its a stand alone antiship missiles system fired from canisters. The Knox can will have 2, 4 barrel launchers. If the Kidds have the original MK 26 launchers, and I belive they still do, and not VLS (was working on one of those today) then they can only shoot anti air and ASROC (rocket thrown torpedo) and will have between 2 and 4 4 barrel Haproon launchers.

The next step up would be Tomahawks.

That's what I was talking about, Harpoons; we need modern but cheap PT style boats.

4 tubes on each side, 2,000 hp motor driving a water jet.

Neat job you have, Chief. I used to go saltwater fishing with an old salt sr. chief who was the weapons guy on one of those gas turbine powered Navy hotrods. Those things must do 40 mph or better. Classified of course.

I remember watching one of those leave Seal Beach weapons station and corner San Clemente island while we'd only made mid-channel on a fishing cattleboat headed for Catalina.

I lied about the Knox class having a separate Harpoon launcher. You would think I would of remember since FF1097 was my second ship and favorite command, hell my division was even responsible for the ASROC launcher. In my defense that was 1988-1990.

The MK-16 ASROC launcher has 8 cells and it can fire ASROCs and Harpoons. We always had Harpoons loaded in the 4 outer cells, 2 on each side.

Heck ya.

Just use one of these modern off-shore racing boats 45' long.

https://cdn.moreboats.com/boats/4095...0d4f816.lg.jpg

Eight barrels per side.

Make a missle that can take out a sub as it's starting to dive, maybe down ten feet.

Where are you going to put the firecontrol radar?:p

Wicked.

We've got much better anti-sub stuff than that....

In little drones? Lots of little drones.

Your probably not going to get the Harpoon system to talk to a drone. Need radars to detect, track then you need the fire control system to come up with a solution for your shot.

AWACs style planes, and satelites on a clear day, drones for the fog.

Pop up radars, under water balloons.

Or give Erik Prince some crude fire control on-board the boat, tell him to serpantine as he runs away at 95 per.

Maybe helicoptor gunships with the point-to-shoot laser beam. Also armed with missle tubes. Give every boat a helicopter pad.

To much effort to make this old system talk to new stuffs.

Took this yesterday, some Harpoons FWD of the VLS
http://www.politicalchat.org/attachm...1&d=1681987788

When the invasion happens. Small arms ammo mines food fuel will be needed in great quantities.

They being an island will be blockaded by China, the US and the rest of the world will be hard pressed to cross.

It could spiral rather quickly out of control with devastating results.

It's on the Navy, can they keep access to the Island, or can they not? I fear they don't have enough water. Land-based power may win.

That's not what I was thinking about; What took the place of the TOW shoulder fire rockets ? I've seen the one that can be quided just by bouncing a laser beam off the target.

Something small, less expensive, that can still put a hole in a ship at the waterline.

A small go fast will "never" get close enough to a ship underway, unless they are "sneaky" enough.